Intertwining Lives
by Thepurplethread
Summary: It was the little things. A brush of hands, a small smile. Raven and Red X are enemies. Always have, always will be. Except they aren't. Because they have a history and that makes everything complicated.
1. Prologue

I do not own Teen Titans. But I can dream!

* * *

As every young couple is, they are blissfully happy. But happy, innocent things rarely last.

Snuggled on a sofa in their small apartment in Gotham, is their one-year-old son who is sitting between his parents, half asleep. His parents are talking in low murmurs about a less than perfect subject.

"May, I'm worried. It's been over two weeks since we've heard from Mark."

She frowns slightly.

"With his lifestyle he could have been shipped off to jail and we would never know."

"Maybe we should try calling around. See if anyone's heard anything."

Her mouth forms a straight line showing her dislike of this idea, as she looks him firmly in the eye.

"No Will. You are not getting our family into trouble over your deadbeat brother. And what are you going to do. Call every prison in Gotham and just casually ask if they've picked up a criminal that looks like your brother?"

He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair.

"You're right. I just wish-" he pauses, hearing a faint knock on their apartment door.

"Who- is that him?" she asks, brows knitting together in worry.

"Maybe."

He stands, walking quickly over and opening the door. Instead of any recognizable face, a dark figure stands at the door, dressed in sweats, the hood pulled up, shrouding his face in shadows.

"Mark? Is that you?" he asks, concern in his voice.

The person ignores the question, and shoves past him and into the apartment. The woman stands abruptly, leaving her sleeping son lying on the sofa.

"What are you think you're doing? How dare you come in here?" she hisses at the figure.

The man turns to his wife quickly.

"May, go in the bedroom. Now."

She glances at the figure again, then back at her husband.

"Fine." she spats.

Quickly she gathers her son, holding him tightly in her arms, and goes into the bedroom and locks the door behind her.

The figure turns to the man, face still hidden under the jacket hood.

"Mark, stop this nonsense now!" he speaks, frowning, "And take off that stupid hood!"

The figure chuckles in a raspy voice.

"You might not like what you see."

Suddenly he pulls off the hood in a swift movement. The man gasps in horror.

"Mark, my god. What did you do to yourself?"

Mark's lips, now stained a bloody red, twist into a cruel smile.

"Don't worry dear brother. It's no problem for me. Although people seem to think it is." he turns to him, "I think their exact words were something like, 'Oh my god, what have you done to yourself? Are you crazy?"

He frowns suddenly, hate in his eyes.

"Or maybe that's just what you said."

"Mark, what's wrong? What happened to your voice? It's-it's-" he stops, not knowing what to say.

The other man chuckles evilly.

"Strange? Weird? Totally bizare?"

"Just so... high."

Mark snorts.

"Please. Your new found concern for me is a joke!"

He bursts into a maniacal laughter, red lips twisting into a horrible, inhuman grin. His brother mearly watches, horrified.

"Touching," he speaks, laughter dying down, "But still ridiculous!"

"What happened to you Mark? Tell me!" he spoke, voice rising. "You're not making any sense! You just come bursting into my apartment with no word, and your skin i -is as white as a ghost, and you've got that horrible grin plastered on your face, and you're not acting normal at all, and I'm only going to ask you one more time. _What_ _the hell_ _has happened to you_?"

Mark's smile fades slightly at his words. But it returns just as quickly.

"Well, if you really want to know, The Big Bad Batman was chasing me after I had broken into some jewelry store, and he chased me into a factory."

He paused, rubbing his eyes.

"There was a big vat of chemicals, Batman, h-he tried to hit me, I-I dodged, but the floor was slippery, and I fell."

He laughs again.

His brother only stares on in disbelief.

"Y_ou fell_ into a vat of chemicals?"

"Better believe it little bro. It's what gave me such a unique new look."

He grins at his brother's horrified look.

"Mark, you need help. Turn yourself in."

"What? No!" he retorts quickly. "I got away from batboy all by myself!"

"Mark," he begins, placing a firm hand on Mark's shoulder, "You're scaring me. I think the chemicals somehow affected your mind. You need help."

"I don't need help!" he shouts, shoving his hand away. "I don't need help from anyone!"

"Mark, stop." he speaks gently, turning to him, "You need help and-" he stops as he sees what his brother is holding.

"Now I see just what your problem is Will." he speaks, aiming the gun directly at him.

"Mark, put the gun down."

"You just don't know how to take a joke!" he pulls the trigger, and a loud bang rings out.

"You know, I never did like the name Mark," he says, smiling down at his now-motionless brother lying on the floor, "Now everyone can call me-"

He pauses, thinking for a moment.

"How about something like... _The Joker_! What do you think Will? Oh right,- _you're dead_."

His lips curl into a vicious smile, for he is very pleased with himself. Suddenly he hears a click behind him, and whirls around to see his brother's wife May with a gun pressed to his back.

"May, so good to see you again. "

Her eyes fill with tears as she sees her husband lying dead on the floor.

"You filthy monster. How could you murder your own brother?"

He laughs at her question. "Quite easily, really."

"He trusted you! Loved you! I told him that you were nothing but scum, but he never listened to me!"

"My brother always was an idiot."

He chuckles. "And it seems you are too."

He looks at the gun pressed straight in his chest. "So you're going to shoot me."

She blinks, trying to keep tears from running out of her eyes, as she wraps her fingers tightly around the trigger.

"I'm surprised a woman like you even knows how to hold a gun, much less fire it. They usually don't like the loud noise and the-"

"That's not going to work." she cuts in. "You're just trying to distract me. Capture my attention, so you can get away."

He smirks.

"You're very clever."

He shifts, almost nervously. "You've got guts kid. But the real question is do you have enough guts to pull the trigger?"

She bites her lip nervously, a million thoughts racing through her mind. After a seconds thought she acts. Another shot rings through the apartment as she pulls the trigger.

"_Nope_."

He stumbles, clutching his leg.

"_You little-_!" he shouts. He presses his eyes shut to fight the pain.

"I'll kill you for this! I swear!" he screams at her as she quickly grabs her son.

She wraps her hands tightly around his small ones and quickly, unlocking the window, climbs on to the fire escape. She climbs as quickly as she can while carrying her son at the same time.

Soon they are on the ground, and she runs, not knowing where they will go or what will happen to them, but they are together, and they are alive. She thinks of her husband, how her son will never have a father, and her eyes fill with tears. But her son is waking up, and there will be plenty of time to mourn later.

Now he whimpers from exhaustion, and she gently rocks him, pressing him closer to his chest.

"Don't worry, Momma's here." she smiles down at him.

"Don't be scared. Momma won't let anyone hurt you, Jason." He sighs, closing his eyes again.

She presses him close to her chest as they both flee into the night.

* * *

Azar breathes in deeply as she walks into the temple of Azarath, her heels clicking against the cool marble floor.

She glances upward at the darkening sky, and feels a gust of cool wind burst through the temple, signaling coming rain. There will be a horrible storm later, even though it has never rained a day in Azarath.

Azar sighs, thinking back to the events that led to all this horror.

Arella Roth, a lost and confused 19 year-old girl with no parents of family of any kind, had made a horrible mistake, and had ended up giving birth to the devil's own spawn. She had found Arella lost and alone, crying in an ally, about to kill herself.

She had taken Arella's hand, dried her tears, and brought her to Azarath, where Trigon's daughter had just been born an hour earlier.

But as soon as she was born the skies had turned black, the wind blew hard enough to chill a person to their bones, and lightning and thunder shook the air.

_The gods must be punishing us for harboring such evil_' she thinks as thunder rings, almost like mocking laughter.

Turning her attention from the brewing storm, she continues on her original path.

Soon she reaches the main hall of the temple of Azarath.

Seeing a hunched figure sitting by the roaring fire makes her heart ache. She walks over to her, trying to not disturb her.

"Arella." she speaks, looking down at the young woman, wrapped in a blanket.

Arella doesn't bother to even acknowledge her presence.

"Are you all right?" Azar asks, eyeing the girl.

"What have I done?" Arella speaks, voice flat and hollow.

"Arella-" she begins.

"I've doomed an entire universe to destruction and suffering. And there is nothing I can do but watch the whole thing play out before my eyes. Because of my mistakes billions will suffer."

she turns to Azar, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"How can I live with myself, when I know that all that suffering and pain is my fault? she asks despairingly, even though she knows that there is no answer that Azar, or anyone can give her.

Azar sighs, thinking for a moment before sitting down next to Arella.

They sit in silence, the only sound from the crackling fire. Arella sniffles, putting her head between her knees.

"It wasn't your fault."

"What?" she sits up, looking at Azar curiously.

"It wasn't your fault." Azar continues, "You were completely alone, no one was there to help you. Trigon manipulated your weaknesses, abused them. Made you feel wanted, needed."

"And it worked. I fell for it." she hangs her head in shame. "And now everyone is going to pay the price."

"You don't know that for sure." Azar speaks suddenly, turning to her.

"You heard the prophecy I well as I did. In 16 years Trigon's child will fall pry to his will and become his portal to the Earth, with them dying in the process." she closes her eyes, as if trying to shut out the nightmare.

"I have been alive for a very long time Arella." Azar begins, staring into the depths of the fire. "In 1,000 years of life I have learned many things. But most important is that the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain."

Arella arches an eyebrow. "And that means?"

A thin smile appears on her face.

"That the prophecies are always vague. And they don't happen the way one might think."

"You think that she won't become the portal?" she asks, a tiny spark of hope creeping into her voice.

"No, that is certain. But we don't know what will happen after that."

"Then there really is no hope, no chance of defeating Trigon." Arella closes her eyes, feeling utterly defeated.

"Maybe not."

"But you don't know that for sure!" she cries out, frustration evident in her voice.

"One can never know anything for certain. But we can train her. Teach her to control the darkness within her."

Azar places a firm hand on her shoulder. "But the thing she will need most is love. A parent who loves her."

"I don't think I can." Arella says, voice trembling.

"Have you seen her yet?" Azar asks softly.

Arella shakes her head.

"You need to see her before you condemn her."

* * *

The two women enter a room deeper still in the temple.

"There she is." Azar speaks softly, gesturing to the tiny baby lying in a cradle in the far corner of the room.

Arella tiptoes over to the crib, looking down at the small child sleep peacefully.

She stares, transfixed by the little thing's breathing, a small smile on her face.

"She- she doesn't look evil."

"That's because she isn't." Azar speaks, smiling at Arella. "Evil isn't born, it's made."

"Maybe- maybe you're right." Arella smiles. "Maybe she can do this. Defeat Trigon."

"She still needs a name."

Arellla sighs.

"I don't know. She's just like a little bird."

She stoops over, picking her up.

"Like a little Raven." she whispers, rocking her gently in her arms.

"Soon we shall talk about how to train your little Raven in how to use her abilities. But now you should rest while you can."

Azar squeezes her shoulder warmly. Arella reluctantly hands Raven over to Azar's waiting arms.

"Just… make sure she stays safe?" she asks Azar quickly.

"I promise no harm will come to her. Now rest."

For the first time a real smile shines on Arella's face.

"Thank you. For everything," she speaks, turning to the door.

Azar rocks the child in her arms, sending peaceful thoughts to her. Raven slowly opens her eyes, blinking sleepily, staring up at Azar. '

_Purple_…' she muses, noticing the baby's distinct eye coloring.

Suddenly the violet orbs seem to flash red, but only for an instant, before fading back to purple.

It happened so suddenly it made Azar wonder if she was only imagining things. She studies the baby's face for a few moments.

"Raven, little one, you're going to have a very difficult life. But I think- no, I'm sure you can handle it. I'm positive."

She smiles down at the child, who is drifting back into sleep, resting free of the burden of its troubled and uncertain future.

And Azar finds herself wishing that this moment, one that is quiet and free of pain, could stretch on forever.

* * *

**So I've had this story around in my head for months now and I just got around to typing it! Basically, it's my entire head canon of Red X and Raven's lives and how they met and everything!**

**Also this is going to be pretty much completely out of canon for Jason Todd. Mostly because I don't think Jason Todd and Raven have ever really had any romancy stuff in the comics.**

**Anyway, as always please review!**

**1.1.15**


	2. 1 It Began With A Bang (Sort Of)

I don't own Teen Titans. (Sad crying)

* * *

8 year-old Jason sat in the kitchen of a tiny apartment somewhere in Gotham, drawing. He could hear the wild whops and music blaring from the bar located below the apartment, and frowned, knowing that his mom was going to come home staggering tonight.

But the feel of the pencil in his hand and the sound of the lead scratching against the paper took the edge off of the reality that any second now, his mom was going to stumble in, completely drunk.

Her drinking had gotten much worse in the past few years. Jason knew it had something to do with his dad, but whenever he brought the subject of his dad up her eyes would water and she would say _'He's dead Jason. And he's never coming back. That's all that matters.'_ and then promptly change the conversation.

After a few years he just gave up. Jason continued to sketch the outline of a face on his paper.

At least this, his drawings, he could control. The rest of his life maybe not, but this, this was his.

He heard a muffled stumble outside the door. He sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair. Guess she's home .

Sure enough the door turned and his mother staggered in, laughing at something someone had said.

"Hell-o Jason," she slurred, stumbling into the chair next to him.

"Mom you're drunk. Again." he said gently.

She frowned, rubbing her hand against her forehead, as if trying to clear her mind. "I-I am?"

"Yeah, you are."

She groaned, resting her forehead against the table, while Jason watched, knowing to keep silent or she might start crying.

"J-Jason I'm sorry, it just happened again, and I could've- should have stopped but I didn't and-"

"Mom, It's fine. No biggie."

He slid out of his chair and walked over to the sink where he filled a glass with water.

"Here," he said softly, handing her the glass, "Drink all of it."

She took the glass, her hands shaking slightly, gulping it down quickly.

"Thank you Jason. I don't know what I would do without you." She bent over, burying her head between her knees.

"I'm sorry I got drunk again. It's just so hard not to." She stopped, breathing in deeply.

Jason just stood there watching her sadly. "Mom it's fine. Really."

"No Jason it's not! It's not fair to you for me to be like this." she paused, closing her eyes. "Sometimes I just miss your father so much, the only way to get rid of the pain is to drink it away."

Jason eyes widened at this mention of his father. This was the first time she had ever mentioned him.

"You've never told me what happened to him. W-what happened?" he asked carefully, sitting down at the small table.

May sighed, turning to him, eyes full of tears.

"I suppose you might as well know what happened to your father."

She wiped a tear from her cheek before continuing.

"You were only a year old. Too young to know that your dad was gone and would never come back. Your father, he had a brother. His name was Mark. And he was a very bad person. He was a criminal, one who hurt people. The Batman was chasing him and there was an accident. Mark, he-" she paused, shuttering.

"He fell into some kind of chemical waste. I'm not really sure. I never was. It turned him into this… horrible thing. White skin, green hair, and this hideous smile. People said it also drove him crazy, but I knew he was a psychopath before the accident ever happened. Mark came into our apartment late one night… and he and your father fought, Mark, he pulled out a gun, and he…"

she stopped, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

"I managed to get us both away from him but…"

Jason shut his eyes trying to process the fact that his dad hadn't been some creep that had left him and his mom in the lurch. He had been gunned down by an evil criminal brother that he had also never heard of.

He just stood there for a moment, as if in a trance.

But the sound of his mother's sobbing quickly brought him back to the real world, and he quickly wrapped his arms arms around her thin shoulders.

"Don't cry." he spoke softly. "Dad may be gone but you've still got me. You'll always have me"

She made a choking sound, something between a sob and a laugh.

"I don't know what I would do without you Jason." She sniffled. "I'm sorry that I'm just such a failure at being a mother."

"No you're a good mom!"

She laughed mirthlessly. "Trust me Jason, I'm not. I don't even have enough money to pay the rent."

May bit her lip, holding back a sob.

A sick feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach. 'So that's why she had been drinking so much'

"What are we going to do?"

She forced a smile. "You don't need to worry about grownup problems Jason." She told him, still smiling fakely.

"Why don't you go to bed now."

He nodded mutely. Picking up his pad and pencil, he walked off to his room, leaving May staring vacantly into an empty water glass.

:-:

He clicked on the overhead light, letting the light illuminate every corner of his small room.

Jason sighed, sitting down on his bed, letting himself flop back on the mattress.

'He just couldn't believe that's what happened to his dad. Out of all the stuff he had imagined that was the one thing he never even dreamed of. He knew it must have really hurt her to talk about what happened that night. He just wished there were something he could do to help about the rent. He turned over on his side, frowning.

Why does life work out like crap?

Suddenly he sat straight up.

'That's it_'_.

:-:

Quietly, with a sweatshirt hood covering most of his face, Jason crept up to the backdoor of some store in a back alley.

Taking a pair of wire cutters out of his backpack, he quickly cut the padlock off the door. Glancing around to make sure no one saw, he slowly opened the door and quickly ducked inside.

Looking around for anyone who might still be in the closed book store, he ran quickly to the cash register.

Please don't be locked, please.

He grinned seeing that someone had absently left the key hanging on the wall convinently behind the register instead of taking it home.

Jason quickly grabbed the key, opened the register, and stuffed its contents into his backpack before running back out the way he had came.

:-:

After he had climbed back up the fire escape and crept back into his room through the window, carefully closing it behind himself, he plopped down on his bed.

He turned his backpack upside-down, letting the contents spill onto his bed. Quickly he counted roughly 500 dollars.

'That would be enough for the rent this month, then Mom would get something together, and he wouldn't do this ever again_._

* * *

Raven sighed.

'Meditation must be the most boring thing in the world' she thought as she sat cross-legged on the cold marble floor of the temple of Azarath.

"Raven, I sense that your mind is not focused this morning." spoke Azar quietly, opening her eyes.

"I apologize Azar." she said, opening her eyes as well. "But it is very hard to remain quiet and still for so long." she complained. The whole thing seemed to be a huge waste of time.

Azar frowned, almost as if she could hear what Raven was thinking. Her aging face seemed more stern than ever.

"Raven," she spoke, voice serious "How old are you?"

"I will be eight years in two days time, Great One." she replied with a bright smile. "Why do you wish to know?"

Azar's eyes narrowed.

"Raven, you must listen to me very carefully."

Raven nodded, eyes staring at Azar expectantly.

"You must take your training more seriously." she breathed in deeply before continuing. "The universe is much bigger than Azarath. There are many evil people, ones who have given in to the darkness and hatred within."

Raven thought for a moment before answering.

"But Azar, what does any of that have to do with me?" she asked curiously.

Azar exhaled slowly before answering. "Because, little Raven, one day you will leave the safety of Azarath."

This only caused more questions to form in her mind.

'To leave Azarath meant to never return. Did Azar mean that she would have to leave her mother and the only home she had_?_'

Her thoughts must have shone on her face, because Azar placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Do not worry Little One. That is many years away. For now you must practice your meditation."

But why would she even want to leave? She had a nagging suspicion that there was something Azar wasn't telling her.

But instead of thinking more about her suspicion something was wrong, she just bowed her head and continued to meditate.

* * *

**So this update took waaaaay to long.**

**But I've been super busy with school and stuff, and it feels like I've edited this a million times. Also, every chapter will have two perspectives, which takes more time. But I've got the whole next chapter almost finished so (hopefully) I'll have it out in a week or so!**

**As always please review, 'cause I love hearing what you guys think! **

**1.26.15**


	3. 2 In The Shadow Of The Soul

I don't own The Teen Titans. And it breaks my heart.

* * *

Jason dashed through the dark alley, feet pounding against the cement, as he ran through one of the many back ways in Gotham.

He paused breathing heavily as he glanced quickly over his shoulder. Sure enough, the cop was still right behind him.

Didn't this guy ever give up? He mentally groaned as he quickly turned a corner, nimbly leaping over a pool of dark water in the back alley. However the slightly less-graceful police officer was much slower on his feet and fell feet-first into the puddle, landing hard on his behind.

Jason smirked.

This had to be the most ridiculous cop he'd ever seen. Taking the opportunity at hand, he turned, running into the darkness.

The now-drenched policeman got to his feet cursing, but Jason was already long gone.

:-:

Up above the the alley two figures were watching the whole scene play out. One was watching intently, binoculars raised, while the other was absently tossing a batarang from hand to hand.

"So," Robin said, breaking the silence, "when are you going to tell me why we're not bringing that punk in?"

Batman frowned, turning to his sidekick. "Is that what you see here? Some punk off the streets?"

Robin shrugged. "Pretty much. I mean, he just broke into a jewelry store, picked the register open, and cut the guard in the face with a shard of glass. Seems pretty punky to me."

Batman held the binoculars up to his eyes again, scanning the city.

"So?" Robin prompted.

"So what?" Batman answered flatly, eyes still glued to the streets.

"So why won't you tell me why we can't just throw his butt in jail! He's been doing this for months. And that's just what we even know of." Robin told him, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Because," Batman said, "he picked a cash register, and took out two police men. Without being caught."

"And that matters because?"

"He's not any older than 12."

"Wow, give him a trophy. But that still shouldn't cut him a break."

Batman let out a deep breath, steaming in the cool night air. "The real question here is why do you even care?"

Robin had to bite his tougue to keep from letting a snarky remark out. "I care," Robin said with a carefully controlled tone, "because we've been wasting too much time with this one _person_. We have more important stuff to deal with than to chase around some random kid from the streets. He needs to be dealt with."

What he didn't say was that deep down, there was a tiny seed of jealousy. Because really, who did this kid even think he was to capture Batman's attention? Because, somehow, even though he was a criminal, he had gotten mercy. From Batman. And not even once or twice, but repeatedly. Over and over Batman would let him go.

And Robin got more and more annoyed every time.

"This isn't that black and white Robin."

"Could have fooled me," Robin muttered.

"Robin, adults willingly choose to break the law. It usually takes more to make children become criminals." Robin's brow furrowed.

"So you think something, or someone is forcing him do this?"

"I'm saying we need to know more before we just throw him in jail."

Robin frowned, scowling down at the street below.

"We've been waiting for months. Letting him get away with everything. It has to end sometime."

Batman remained expressionless, but Robin knew he was thinking about what he had said. Maybe now he would finally get this punk out of his side.

:-:

Jason slipped into his bedroom, carelessly dropping the backpack with the cash that he had just stolen at the foot of his bed.

He frowned, flopping back on his bed.

This was bad. He should not be doing this. But what choice did he really have?

He ran his fingers through his black hair.

With his mom's drinking problem only getting worse, there really wasn't any other option. And he couldn't deny the fact that stealing was… fun. The rush of adrenalin and the fact that he had now managed to evade the police several times now only added to the rush.

But it was still…wrong.

He flopped back, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to block the world out.

Who was he kidding?

He couldn't stop now. They needed that money.

His mom was even desperate enough to believe that there was actually life insurance from his dad, that there had been some mix-up and they had only started getting money _8_ _years_ after his death. Once a month his mom just silently took the envelope filled with cash out of the mail box, right where he put it the night before.

His mom never questioned it, probably because deep down, she knew that there was something wrong about it. She had never asked him about it, or even glanced at him suspiciously.

But she knew.

He didn't know how. But she did, and she let it go on because it was their only way to scrap by.

His stomach tightened.

They needed the money, but the risk was getting greater. If he ever got caught his mom would be all alone.

He swallowed. Tonight had been close. That cop had been dumb as a post not to mention gunless, but others wouldn't be.

He would have to be more careful in the future. But the real question was what kind of future was there? And did he even want to stop?

Jason groaned silently.

Why did life have to be so damn confusing?

Jason groaned as he sat up, opening the lid of his laptop (from one of his better thefts) and quickly scrolled through the news feed.

He stopped when something caught his eye.

A 14 carat ruby on display at the Gotham Museum, now that was interesting.

That was something very worthwhile. He rubbed his eyes wearily.

The security would be crazy high on something like that. It was much risker than just breaking into small convenience stores like he had been doing.

But that ruby would be worth enough for them to live on for years. And he was good enough to crack a museum.

He grinned.

This was going to work out perfectly. And after this he would stop stealing.

For a while.

:-:

Raven rubbed her thin arms, wrapping her gray cloak tighter around herself.

She was standing outside in the cold, waiting for her mother to get back from meeting with Azar.

She shivered.

Azar and Arella had been on edge for the past two days. She had no idea why, just that it had something to do with her.

It had begun when Azar had given her that lecture about the importance of controlling her emotions for the millionth time.

Raven shivered again.

She understood the danger of feeling too much, really, she did. But no emotion, none at all, the way Azar wanted her to be, seemed extreme.

How could one live, be happy or sad if every emotion was condemned?

But every time she asked these questions of Azar she just replied sadly, "Things are different for you Raven. They always will be."

But things _weren't_ different for her. She was just a normal person. She had no dangerous abilities, no powerful magic like Azar.

Yet Azar always told her that she could never feel anything because she was _different_.

This was all so confusing it made her head hurt. The sound of her mother's footsteps jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Mother!" she said running up to her. "You are here."

Arella smiled slightly. "Yes Raven. I am." she said softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Raven looked up at her, studying her closely. "Mother… is everything all right?"

Arella shifted nervously, not meeting her eyes.

"Mother?"

"Everything is well, my little bird. But we-" she paused, her voice cracking. "We have much to talk about."

"Mother- what is the matter?"

Arella blinked quickly to keep tears from escaping her eyes. "Nothing is wrong little one. Now let us go eat dinner and then we will talk about many things."

:-:

After they had eaten they both sat down on the sofa in their assigned living space.

"Raven," spoke Arella softly, "You will turn eight tomorrow."

Raven nodded.

Why was this such a big deal? There hadn't been any fuss like this on any of her other birthdays.

"And you're getting so much older, and," She sniffled, breathing in before continuing. "Things have to change, for both of us, as you grow older."

Raven frowned. "Mother- I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

Arella seemed to age years as she struggled to find the words to continue.

"Raven, Azar wishes for you to go live in the temple with her."

Arella waited a moment for her words to sink in.

Raven just sat in shock, unable to respond.

"But I don't- I can't just leave you! I don't want to!" she cried, barely able to hold back her tears.

Surely Azar wasn't just going to make her leave her mother? Her only home for her entire life?

Seeing Raven's terrified reaction Arella quickly wrapped her arms around Raven's tiny body, pressing her close.

"Don't worry, little one. We will still see each other." she whispered softly, running her fingers lightly through Raven's purple hair. "Just not everyday."

Raven looked up at her mother desperately. "I promise I'll be good. I'll focus when I meditate. I'll do anything. Just please let me stay with you." she spoke desperately.

Arella smiled sadly.

"It is not from anything you have done Raven. Azar just thinks that you would be better off without me. She believes that you would be better off without me as a distraction."

"What is Azar so afraid of? Why do I have to try so hard?!"

"Raven," Arella began.

"No! Just tell me the truth! Does it have something with my dad? Because you've always refused to tell me anything about him!" she spoke angrily.

"Raven please-"

"You're just going to let Azar take me away from you and you won't even tell me the real reason!"

Raven knew that she was being hugely disrespectful but her mother couldn't just give in like this. She had to at least try!

"Raven, you should go get some sleep." Arella said softly. Raven could hear a note of despair in her mother's voice, and had she not been so angry, she would have guessed that Arella hated this as much as she did.

She sniffled, wiping wetness off her cheeks. "Mother," she said taking a deep breath, "don't let Azar control us like this. Please."

Arella shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Raven, I have spoken with Azar and we have both decided together that this is the best thing for you."

Raven's heart broke at hearing these words.

"Go to sleep." Arella spoke softly, voice filled with sadness.

Raven nodded mutely, walking slowly to her room and shutting the door behind her.

:-:

Raven flopped onto her bed, utterly miserable.

Why wouldn't her mother stand up to Azar? She was letting Azar control everything without any kind of fight. And she wouldn't even tell her the real reason why.

Raven closed her eyes tightly, burying her face in her pillow.

Her world felt like it was falling to pieces and the horrible part was that it was all completely out of her control. Her face burned with shame at the tears that were running down her cheeks.

Sniffling softly, she sat up and wiped the tear stains off her face and repeated the words that Azar had taught her over in her mind.

Raven let out a huge sigh, flopping back on her bed.

If this was the way it was going to be, then there was no point in crying over it. She turned over on her side, pulled her blanket over herself and flopped back against her pillows, shutting her eyes tightly to shut out the world and all its problems.

:-:

Hours later the full moon shone brightly, its light shining faintly through Raven's window.

Raven lay asleep, the candles that sat around her room flickered gently, casting shadows dancing around the room. Everything was silent.

Abruptly a gust of icy wind blew into the room, sending all but one of the candles sputtering out.

Raven only turned in her sleep, tugging her blanket tighter around her.

Slowly, a dark inky shadow-like form crept through the open window and into the room. It glanced at the small form asleep in the bed before it turned, creeping across the room to where the last candle bravely flickered.

With a swift motion the shadow blew the last candle out, casting the room into near darkness.

The shadow, which was almost invisible in the darkness, crept over to where Raven lay in bed, fast asleep.

Her eyes opened wide as she felt a dark presence; one that was born of darkness and fear, something that existed only to cause pain and misery.

Raven sat up slowly, very much afraid.

Why was her room so dark? She glanced around nervously in the darkness.

"Hello?" she said softly. "Is someone there? Mom, i-is that you?"

Raven froze as she finally saw the shadow.

It was pitch black, blacker than the darkest pit. Shadows wrapped around its vaguely human body, like a kind of cloak. But that wasn't what Raven noticed first. In the center of what seemed to be a head there were four glowing eyes the color of fresh blood. It radiated fear and despair.

Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide and full of fear.

"W-what are you?" she said fearfully.

The shadow murmured something in a deep, gravelly voice, as if speaking from deep pit. She felt as if her heart had stopped.

"What- thats not true! That can't be!"

A evil smile spread across the shadow's face as it watched tears run down her cheeks.

Suddenly the shadow surged forward, causing Raven to gasp as she felt all the air empty from her lungs just as a terrible cold shutter ran through her body.

It felt as if her heart had stopped beating in her chest as she felt the shadow force itself inside her body, and she screamed, even as the world spun into darkness.

:-:

"But Azar, please-"

Azar stopped her with a raise of her hand. "Enough Arella. You know as well as I that Raven must be under constant watch."

"But I'm able to do that. If we could just wait until she's older. She doesn't even show any signs of Him yet. Maybe we can-"

She stopped, as a piercing scream echoed from Raven's room.

"Raven," Arella murmured.

She raced through the halls, ignoring Azar's calling after her. When she reached the apartment Arella dashed to Raven's room.

She opened the door, to see Raven standing with her back to her, staring intently out the window.

"Raven, are you alright?" she said worriedly. "I heard you scream and-" she gasped as Raven turned to face her.

But instead of Raven's lavender eyes, four red eyes gleamed.

"Trigon," she breathed.

"Arella," Raven spat, in a deep voice, one full of malice and hate. "So good to see you again."

"Leave my daughter alone." She told him fiercely.

Raven chuckled, as a wicked smile spread across her face. "I will not leave the girl. She is a worthy host of my power."

"I won't let her become your pawn. Just another person for you to use and manipulate. Just as I was!"

"But Arella, you forget the most important detail, you don't have a say in this."

Trigon flicked his wrist and Arella gasped as she felt the darkness of Trigon's magic constrict around her waist, wrapping her chest, so tightly she could hardly breathe.

"Your constant complaining grows tiresome. It's time I dealt with you."

With that, she flicked her hand and Arella felt herself fly through the air and slam into the hard stone wall over and over, her body awash with pain.

The last thing Arella thought was of how Raven was lost and alone, and how she wished she could have saved her... before the pain overwhelmed her and everything turned to darkness.

* * *

**Sorry for the horribly long update! School has pretty much eaten up all my time this semester. This has been sitting on my computer for over two months and I just got to posting it! But I'm on spring break now so hopefully I'll get the next chapter up quicker!**

**Also just to be clearer in this chapter Jason is around 12, Raven is 8, and Robin's around 13. Just cause it's kinda confusing:)**

**(Jason and Raven are actually the same age, Raven's part is just set earlier than Jason's) **

**As always please review cause they literally mean the world to me!**

**3.29.15**


	4. 3 The Double Identity

I don't (and sadly never, ever will) own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Jason checked his backpack for what felt like the millionth time, making sure he wasn't missing anything that he might need.

This was really it.

He swallowed, steeling his nerves. There was no backing out now. Jason took a deep breath and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Carefully he opened his window and slipped out into the night.

-:-

Jason stood alone at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive.

He thumped his hand against his thigh nervously, trying to keep from thinking about everything that could go wrong. Finally the bus pulled up, the doors opening with a screech.

There was a split second where he hesitated, where he almost didn't get on the bus. But then he was climbing up the steps onto the bus, the doors squeaking closed behind him.

The bus pulled away from the curb with a loud screech.

Jason started moving to the back of the bus. He was careful to keep his head low. It hardly mattered, since the bus was pretty much empty this late at night, but he couldn't be too careful.

Looks could lead to conversations, and conversations to questions, questions that might be difficult to answer, like why a 12 year old boy was on a bus in the middle of the night without any adult. Better to keep your head down and shut up.

Although it probably didn't matter what he did, Jason was sure that he looked so guilty anyone would know that he was up to trouble.

He walked past rows of empty seats and a few half sleep homeless people to sit down in the very back of the bus.

He sat perfectly straight against the seat, feeling a slight throb of pain in the pit of his stomach. He hung his head, black hair falling into his eyes.

This was insane. Something was going to go wrong. He was going to get caught. He would ruin his life and his mother's too. He ran his fingers through his hair, breathing slowly.

This was the stupidest thing he had ever considered doing.

The bus groaned to a stop.

Jason was just about to bolt off the bus and never look back when he saw an old man climbing onto the bus. He wore a dark gray suit, an old-fashioned style, with a vest and pocket watch in the breast pocket. His hair was a darkish gray, probably brown years ago. He walked along slowly, aided by a cane, although it didn't look like any kind of cane that he had ever seen.

It was made of some kind of dark, polished wood with a handle that looked like it might be made from gold. He certainly wasn't the type to be riding a bus in the middle of the night.

Jason would say that the guy was an idiot, but here he was on the bus too.

The man turned his way and Jason quickly turned his attention back to the floor. He bit his tongue as the man turned, walking past the rows of empty seats. He crossed his fingers that he wasn't walking towards him.

The man's cane clunked against the metal floor of the bus as he walked slowly down the bus aisle.

Coming up to where Jason sat he asked if the seat beside him was taken. Jason shook his head slowly. Breathing heavily, he sat down next to Jason.

So much for luck. Jason stubbornly turned to face the window, determined to remain silent for the rest of the ride.

"So, where are you going so late?"

Jason bit back a groan.

He turned to the old man, smiling weakly, which probably looked more like a grimace. "I'm just meeting my mom at work. _Sir._"

The old man's face wrinkled as he smiled. "Respect doesn't come easy for you, does it?" he answered.

The bus groaned as it turned a corner.

"So, what does your mother do?"

Jason blinked.

He had follow up questions. Of course he did.

"Uhh… she works at a…bakery."

What was wrong with him? Now he couldn't even lie without sounding stupid. All he could hope was that the guy was so old he wouldn't remember any of this later.

The man nodded agreeably at his answer. "That's a nice job."

Jason exhaled.

"But, come to think of it," he said thoughtfully, tapping his finger against his chin, "All the bakeries I know of are on the East Side of Gotham, and this bus is going to the West Side." He looked at Jason seriously. "Unless you aren't meeting a parent at all."

Jason almost sputtered. "So what are you saying?" he retorted. Jason mentally kicked himself for not having a better reply.

The man chuckled. "I'm old, not stupid. This bus doesn't stop anywhere your parent could work."

"How do you know that my mom isn't also on a bus?" he countered.

"And you're going to meet her there with a backpack that looks like it's about to explode at the seams?"

For once Jason had no reply. The old man laughed out loud at his expression.

"It may come as a shock to you, but I was once young too. And a lot like you too by the looks of it. I got myself into plenty of trouble when I was your age. I know all the tricks. And I know that you're about to go do something incrediply stupid."

Jason bit the inside of his mouth. Whatever this weirdo thought he knew about him didn't matter. No one could possibly imagine what he was about to do.

Jason forced a smile. "What makes you think you know me so well?"

He turned to face the window, trying to end the conversation before the old guy started asking more weird, prying questions.

The old man sighed. "Look kid, I understand. You don't want anyone in your business. But sometimes it helps to talk about it."

Jason looked at him flatly. "Um thanks, but I think I'm good."

"I'm serious."

"So am I, I really am fine."

"Please. I should know. I used to run around getting myself into huge screw-ups all the time."

Jason glanced up for the first time, interested despite himself. "Yeah? Such as?"

A slight grin flickered across the man's face. "Too many to tell you about. But just know I nearly killed my poor mum with worry several times. I'd come home to her shouting and crying at the same time. Some stuff I did really was stupid. But some-" he paused, grin widening, "some I wouldn't take back for anything."

They lapsed into silence, the only sounds were the groans and screeches of the bus and the homeless guy snoring a few seats down.

"Why?" Jason asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"Why what?"

"Why don't you regret your mistakes?"

The old man sighed. "Because some of them were worth it."

"Like what?"

The old man smirked. "I'm not giving you any ideas. I'm sure you give your mother enough pain as it is."

Like he had any idea. Jason suspected that his mom knew that he had something to do with the money in the mailbox, but he could be wrong. She _did_ come home drunk almost every night. And even if she did think he was doing something, there was no way she could know how bad it really was. She didn't know just how screwed up her son was.

His dark thoughts must have shone on his face, because the man was peering at him closely.

"Your mother… is she-?"he stopped, letting the question hang.

Jason sighed, slouching back against the bus seat. "She's alive, if that's what you're asking."

The man sighed. "Believe me when I say I know about keeping secrets kid. But when you try to protect someone from the truth, well, in the long run it can cause them more harm than good."

Jason rolled his eyes. Maybe the guy thought he knew about secrets, but it was nothing compared to what he had to hide.

"I know what you're thinking kid, and you're wrong." Jason blinked, slightly taken back by the man's upfront attitude.

"And why does it matter to you what I think?" he said sullenly. The old man frowned.

"I care," he paused, breathing in, "Because an attitude like that can get you killed Jason."

Jason froze.

He turned to the old man slowly. "I never told you my name," he said carefully. "Who exactly _are_ you?"

The man smiled mysteriously. "You'd be surprised what I know about you, Jason Todd." he replied. "I know about your plans tonight."

Jason's breath caught in his throat as his stomach pitched forward. "So what are you gonna do? I haven't done anything yet. Which means you don't have any proof." he said, trying to hide the quaver in his voice.

"Relax kid. I'm not here to stop you. I was just passing through and I thought I'd come and give you some advice." Jason exhaled slowly, flopping back against the back of the seat.

"Well, you wasted your time, because you're not talking me out of it."

"I know. I wasn't about to try. You're much too stubborn for that."

Jason glared at him. "So why exactly are you here?"

The man's eyes twinkled. "Like I said before. I'm here to give you some advice before you go and screw up your life."

Jason looked at him blankly.

"Well?" he prompted.

The old man smiled. "Slow down. I'm getting to it." He chuckled before continuing. "You're going to have a pretty hard time. That much I can see for sure. You need to remember that everyone won't let you down. If you ever find something, someone, worth it," he stopped, taking a deep breath.

He turned to face Jason.

"They're worth it. Do what ever you have to to keep them. Don't let them slip by." he paused, a faraway look in his eyes. "Just keep in mind that people as a whole are good. It's the very few bad ones you have to be careful for." He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

For once, Jason didn't have anything to say.

"But anyway," he continued, standing up, "That's all I got to say. This _is_ your stop, right?" Jason blinked. He hadn't noticed that the bus had come to a stop.

"Um, yeah. Thanks." Jason slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed the old man off the bus.

-:-

Once they had both gotten off the bus they stood as the bus drove away with one last screech.

Jason shifted nervously, not certain what he was waiting on. The old man grinned as he picked up his cane. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but now I have to be going."

He turned as he started to walk away.

"Wait," Jason said suddenly.

The man turned his head over his shoulder.

Jason didn't know why he had said that, but he did know that he wanted answers. "Why did you come here? And why do you care so much about me?"

Jason folded his arms against his chest as he waited for a reply.

The man turned to face him, hands resting on his cane. "Because Jason, I haven't helped anyone in a very long time. And frankly…well, I was bored. I was just passing through tonight, I heard a lost kid, and I thought that if I came and talked with him… well I thought that I might be able to change his fate."

Jason frowned. "Thanks, but I don't really believe in fate or destiny or whatever."

The old man smirked. "Oh, to be young and stupid again. Believe in whatever you like, Jason. I do hope Fate will be kind to you Jason Todd, but sadly he rarely is." He turned, heading down the dark street.

"You know, I never did catch your name." Jason called after him.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes glinting mischievously. "It's Kent, Kent Nelson." And with that he picked up his cane, and walked off into the night.

Jason stood and watched him until he faded into the darkness, like he had never been there at all.

-:-

Jason walked briskly around the museum to the back entrance.

His breath fogged in the cool January air. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets to keep them from getting so cold.

Talking to that man, Kent whatever his name was, as stupid as it was, had seriously bothered him. All that talk about fate and dying, it was all so stupid, yet it still freaked him out.

The old guy was probably crazy. Except for that he didn't act like he was crazy.

He groaned quietly. It didn't matter. Whatever the guy's deal was, it didn't concern him. Tonight was going just as planned, and then all this would stop.

Now if he could just convince himself of that.

-:-

Once he had gotten to the back of the museum where the supply door was located.

He took a deep breath. There was no backing out now.

Swiftly he pulled up the hood of his jacket, shrouding his face in shadows. Jason took out a wire from his backpack and jammed it up into the lock. He jiggled it around carefully, feeling the pins falling into place.

Jason grinned as he heard the lock click open. Quickly he nudged the door open, rushing inside, careful to close it softly behind him.

-:-

He ran through the dark corders, silently glad that he thought of finding the floor plan of the museum online. Shadows of the the exhibits loomed across the floor in inky black splotches. The only sound was the footfalls of his shoes against the slick marble floor.

Jason slowed down when he saw the banner for the ruby's new exhibit in the hall of gems.

Even with everything going perfectly, he still had a creeping feeling. He glanced quickly over his shoulder.

Nothing.

He must be losing his nerve. He shook his head. This was completely stupid.

The security guard wasn't due on the floor for another 20 minutes, by which he would be long gone. Unless he let this stupid weirdness get to him and he screwed up because of it.

He began to run again.

Swiftly, he turned down a different corder which (hopefully) would take him straight to the hall of gems where the ruby was being displayed. Jason skidded to a halt once he reached the hall**.**

He glanced down the dark hallways behind him again. Just to make sure that he was alone.

He groaned. It was like talking to that Kent guy had reawakened all his embedded fears that he had always just shoved to the side for years. It just felt different. He shook his head again.

None of these thoughts were helpful in the least. Besides, it was too late for him to have doubts. He was already in the museum. Even if he didn't have anything on him, if he got caught they could still arrest him for breaking in.

He didn't have a choice now. He had to take the ruby, otherwise all his work would be for nothing.

Quietly, he crept into the hall. It took his eyes a second to adjust to the darkness.

He grinned as he saw the gem lying in the center of the room. Now all he had to do was get it out of the case.

Swiftly, he unzipped his backpack, pulling out a pair of glass-cutters (yet another handy thing that he had stolen). He set them carefully onto the glass and cut out a hole, just big enough for him to slip his hand through. Quickly he reached in and snatched the ruby off of its velvet pillow and dropped into his backpack, quickly tucking the glass cutters into a side pocket.

He was feeling pretty proud of himself when he heard an alarm rang out.

Shit.

He hadn't thought of the case itself being alarmed. Now guards and possibly police were on their way. Right on queue a guard ran into the room, gun in hand. The guard cast the light around the room, nearly shining it right over where Jason was hiding.

Jason held his breath as the guard walked over, close to where he was hiding. Another few steps and he would be discovered.

Just as he was sure he was busted he heard the guard sigh. "They're gonna have my head for this," he muttered, as he turned, walking out of the hall.

Jason let out the breath that he'd been holding. He could hardly believe that had just happened.

That had been close. Way too close. He stood up slowly, glancing around in the darkness for more guards.

Luckily there seemed to be only that one. But he wasn't about to just sit there and wait for more people to show up.

Jason slung his backpack over his shoulder and crept out of the hall. Once he was clear of the hallway leading toward the hall of gems he ran down the corders as fast as he could.

He didn't stop to notice the shadows of two figures shrouded in darkness.

Jason stopped when he reached the door that he had entered from, wheezing slightly. He jiggled the knob and about died when it wouldn't turn.

Crap.

Apparently, it was one of those doors that locked itself from both sides whenever you closed it. He dropped his backpack and dug through it, trying to find something to open the door. He was so intent on getting the door open that he didn't hear someone come up behind him.

Suddenly a fist landed a sharp blow at the base of his neck and everything went black.

-:-

The first thing Raven felt was that it was cold.

It was so cold and dark. All she wanted was to stay in the darkness, to wallow in it till she melted into the blackness.

"No," a voice in her mind murmured. "You have to fight."

Her eyes fluttered. She heard herself moan. Her mouth was dry.

Finally, with tremendous effort, she managed to open her eyes fully. It took a second for her vision to focus.

When her vision finally cleared she squeezed her eyes shut again. Opening her eyes once more she saw that she was still in darkness.

Groaning, she sat up and looked around her. Why was everything so dark? And why was the ground so hard? Glancing down she saw that it was because she was sitting on a rock, floating in the blackness.

She took a deep breath. Slowly Raven got to her feet.

This was… crazy. Was she delirious? She groaned, pressing a hand to her aching forehead. It felt as if her brain was vibrating inside her skull.

This seemed to be real, if her aching head were anything to go on.

She glanced around her, peering into the gloom.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded tiny against the vast exspance of the blackness.

All she could see, other than a few slabs of floating rock similar to the one that she was standing on, was absolutely nothing.

Literally.

There was just a vastness of darkness, broken by a few faint specks of light. Maybe they were stars?

Raven shivered, wrapping her cloak around herself. What was this place? And how had she even gotten here?

Her mind turned slowly, as she tried to form clear thoughts. The shadow...

She blinked. How had she forgotten about that? That was the very last thing she remembered before she had blacked out.

The feeling of that _thing _forcing its way inside her body… She remembered screaming desperately… and then nothing. She had just woken up in this place.

Raven shuttered. She could still feel its claw-like hand wrapped around her throat.

After she blacked out, it must have somehow brought her here. Raven felt her knees wobble slightly. If that shadow had really brought her here, then just how powerful was it?

Raven bit the inside of her cheek nervously as she thought. She had too many questions with no answers. When she was back in Azarath she was going to find some.

But for the time being she had to focus on getting off this rock.

"Hello!" a voice said cheerily behind her.

Raven almost fell off the rock.

She spun around crossly, only to come face to face with herself. Her mouth dropped open.

The other-Raven-person beamed. "Hi! Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you! I just couldn't wait to meet you!"

She then stuck out her hand as if she meant for Raven to shake it. Raven just stared at it, dumbly.

"Umm… thanks?"

Looking closer at the copy of her she saw that they_ were, _in fact, not exact copies of each other. The other her wore a pink cloak whereas she wore a dark gray, and had a huge smile permanently plastered on her face.

Raven had to resist the urge to smack that irritatingly perky smile off her face.

"Um… so why do you have my face?" She tried not to sound _too_ rude, but it was surprisingly hard to do when you were actually having a real conversation with yourself, except that the other person was caffeinated out of their mind.

Pink Raven giggled, as if what she had just said was completely ridiculous. "Don't be silly! I'm you!"

Raven frowned. "Uh… I'm pretty sure that _I'm_ me."

Pink Raven laughed again. "Well, yeah, I'm not you _totally_. I'm just a part of you."

Raven felt like screaming. _What in the world did that mean_? She took a deep breath. "But you just said that you were me. And now you say you're a piece of me. What does that even mean?"

Pink Raven tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "You know, I'm actually not sure!"

For a second, her cheerful aura faltered slightly, but it sprang back just as quick. "I know!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "I mean _I_ don't know how to explain it, but I know who does!"

Raven's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" She bit her lip as the words sank in.

"There's _more_ people in this place?"

Pink Raven grinned. "You'll understand when we get there."

Well that _wasn't_ cryptic at all.

"Where exactly are we going to go? We're on a floating rock in the middle of-" Raven stopped mid-sentence as the rose-clad girl raised her hands, eyes glowing white. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" she chanted.

All at once, the rocks floating around them moved together, forming a bridge stretching into the pitch black in front of them.

Raven stood still, shocked at the display of power she had just seen. Raven turned to her pink-robed twin. "You have magic."

Pink Raven shrugged. "Yep," she said cheerfully, popping her p slightly.

"How?"

She shrugged again. "I dunno. Don't you?"

"No," she replied tersely. "I don't."

This copy of her was starting to get on her nerves. But no matter how annoying she was, she was probably the closest thing to good luck she was going to get in this place.

The pink girl ran ahead on to the bridge, unafraid. She glanced back at Raven, smiling excitedly as she gestured for Raven to follow.

Raven scowled, but started after her, following her into the blackness.

-:-

After what felt like hours of trudging behind the pink-cloaked girl Raven was in an even worse mood.

Every time she had tried to talk to Pink Raven she had laughed, and started blabbering about absolutely nothing. No, that was wrong, she had discovered that this copy adored puppies, lemons, and Mondays, was terrified of spiders, and thought that Azar was incredibly dull.

And, apparently loved to talk her mouth off. Yet she still never said a word about where they were, or where they were going.

By this point Raven was seriously considering jumping off the bridge. At least she wouldn't have to hear another story.

Suddenly, it occurred to that _she_ might always be this annoying. She made a mental note to shut up more in the future.

The only thing she had learned on their trek was that the void wasn't as…_void_ as she had previously thought. A few grim-looking trees clung to floating hunks of rock, and once a flock of strange bird-like creatures had circled around them once before disappearing back into the dark.

Raven didn't feel threatened by them, but she got the feeling that they wouldn't think twice about tearing someone else to shreds.

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice that the Pink Raven had stopped, and Raven slammed straight into her back.

Pink Raven turned around, completely unfazed. "Oops, Sorry! We're here!" She said smiling apologetically.

"Thanks." Raven said dryly. "Where are we-" she stopped, as she looked past her, seeing where they were.

They were standing on a huge stone area, one that was as big as a large field. Unlike the hunk of rock she had woken on that had been rough and course, the ground was smooth and shiny as marble. The entire area was vaguely circular, with twelve enormous marble pillars arranged in a circle around it. The pillars were so tall they seemed to go on forever into the darkness above, as if they were holding up reality itself.

In the center of the ring a fire burned black, yet had no wood or smoke. But she hardly noticed the surroundings.

For, seated at the base of each pillar were copies of _herself._ The only visible difference between herself and the copies were the colors of their cloaks. Each copy wore a different color. There were eleven total, including the one in pink that had brought her here.

The copies were all so inwrapped in what they were doing they didn't even notice them. A few were chatting with each other, another was sitting cross-legged, her eyes shut tightly. One's head was lying against the ground, fast asleep.

None of the copies seemed to have noticed them yet as Raven stood there, gapping.

Pink Raven twisted her head to face her, beaming. "Isn't this just amazing! Um… Hello?"

Raven blinked, snapping out of her shock. "What is this?" she murmured, almost to herself.

"Cool right?"

Raven closed her eyes, calming herself the way Azar had taught her. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly.

She turned to the pink- cloaked girl. "I am just about out of patience." she spoke slowly. " Answers. _Now."_

Pink Raven grinned, completely unfazed by Raven's anger.

"No problem!" She began gesturing wildly at one of the girls. "Hey! In the yellow! Over here!"

Some of the girls rolled their eyes in disgust. Apparently they had already knew her.

The girl cloaked in yellow groaned but stood up, walking over to them. Seeing her closer, Raven saw that there _were_ slight differences between the clones. Unlike Raven she wore round lensed glasses rimed in black and walked stiffly, lips pursed slightly.

Pink Raven ran up to her, throwing her arms around the yellow clad girl, which she didn't seem thrilled about.

"This is completely unnecessary." she grumbled.

"It's fantastic to see you!" Yellow Raven shoved the pink girl off of her, straightening her glasses. She turned her gaze to Raven.

Raven shifted uneasily. This version was different than the one in pink. Pink Raven was bubbly, nice to a fault. Didn't seem to be all that smart. Yellow Raven was not that way. Raven could feel her eyes running down her body, studying her, deciding if she was friend or foe.

For once even the pink-cloaked girl was strangely silent.

Yellow Raven frowned, her eyes narrowing. She glanced over her shoulder, turning to the pink clad girl. "Thank you for bringing her here." The yellow Raven arched an eyebrow. "Showed unusually good judgment on your part."

Silence.

Yellow Raven stared at the pink girl flatly.

"Oh! I'll just be over there," she said quickly, before darting away from them.

As annoying as the perky pink girl was, Raven wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone with the yellow girl. She took a deep breath.

"Is she always that annoying?" she said, gesturing to Pink Raven who was now on the other side of the plateau. The yellow-cloaked girl nodded wearily.

They both chuckled. Raven smiled to herself. At least all the copies weren't as annoying as the girl in pink.

"The- person that brought me here said that you could explain what all this-" she gestured around herself "is." She looked at the girl in glasses questionably.

"I am surprised that I am aware of what is transpiring now and you are not," she said flatly. "However, I have not been fully awake for very long. I suppose it is possible that you and I are not yet in sync."

Raven felt dozens of questions pop up in her mind. "All I want to know is why there are eleven of me running around in this- shadow world."

The yellow-cloaked girl stared at her.

Raven turned her eyes to the ground, embarrassed at her outburst. "Sorry," she muttered. "That was rude."

Yellow Raven shrugged. "You've just been around Happiness for too long."

Raven froze.

"What did you just call her?"

Yellow Raven tilted her head to the side. "You really haven't guessed, have you?"

Suddenly everything made sense. All the different versions of her, the little ways they were the same and the huge ways they were different. Their vastly different attitudes about everything.

Knowledge must have shone on her face, because Yellow Raven nodded in understanding. "You get it now, don't you?"

She stared down at the ground. "I'm not in a different world… I'm in _my own mind_." She looked up at the girl in the yellow cloak. "I am. Aren't I." she said glaring at herself.

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Yes. We are what you may call your emoticlones. We each represent a part of your emotional spectrum. I stand for your wisdom, your brain if you will. I am the smartest side of you. You may call me Wisdom or Knowledge if you prefer."

Raven closed her eyes, hoping that this was all just a dream and any second she was going to open her eyes and this entire _nightmare_ would just disappear.

"It's all real."

Raven opened her eyes, turning to the yellow-clad girl. "It's all real," Knowledge repeated.

"This- this is too much!" Raven turned to the other girl desperately. "This is insane. All I want is to go back home."

Knowledge frowned. "I'm sorry, but you are not able to do that."

"Are you saying that I'm trapped in my own mind?"

Knowledge stared at her, as if she had just said something utterly stupid.

"Yep."

Raven felt as if the ground were spinning out from under her. "But… how can I be in my own mind, and yet still be…me?"

Knowledge rolled her eyes. "When you are in Nevermore, your mind, you are merely an astral form of your living conscience. When you are here your body is an empty husk." She paused, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Although, right now that is incorrect. At the moment our body _isn't_ empty. There is a host within it."

Raven swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as paper. "_That's_ why I can't leave, isn't it? That shadow thing, it pushed me aside and took my body and trapped me here."

Knowledge nodded. "Now you're understanding."

"But why would it want my body? What use does he have for it?"

The yellow-clad girl tilted her head to one side. "Did he say anything to you? Before you blacked out?"

Raven bit her lip. "I-I think so. I remember the shadow, before everything went dark, it said it's name was… Scath. Does… that mean anything to you?"

Knowledge laughed without humor, rubbing her forehead. "Raven, even though my name is Knowledge it does not mean I possess infinite knowledge. All I know is everything _you_ know." She smirked. "And, perhaps at times I can see things clearer than you might. But I don't know anything about this _Scath_."

Raven groaned. Every time she thought that she might possibly have something under control it felt as if the ground were being ripped out from under her feet. "We have to do something!"

Knowledge looked at her sadly. "Can't you see? There _isn't_ anything we can do. We are completely powerless."

"No, here has to be something we can-" suddenly she doubled over, burning pain piercing like a knife through her side. She slouched onto the ground, her vision becoming blurry.

She was vaguely aware of Knowledge pushing her over on to her back. Knowledge was saying something… Raven felt her press a hand to her burning side. It felt like ice against the pain.

She blinked as suddenly the pain faded away and her eyes were able to focus again. Knowledge was staring at her, with something that almost seemed to border on… concern?

"What-what was that?" she managed to croak out feebly. The yellow-cloaked girl's scowl seemed to grow, if that were even possible.

"You felt a wound that your material body had received. I was able to ease the wound slightly, but it will still cause you slight pain."

"With magic." She nodded.

Raven blinked, struggling to sit up. "So you're saying that I don't have control of my own body, yet I still feel pain from my body?"

Knowledge nodded. "You cannot be serious."

"Sadly, I am."

"And you feel nothing?" The yellow-cloaked girl nodded. "It isn't my body. It is yours."

All of a sudden she felt sick in the back of her throat. This was insane. She wished that she was back with her mother. Back, safe in Azarath. She could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

She quickly blinked them away. She was not going to start sobbing like a child. She pressed her eyes closed, muttering the words that Azar had taught her to keep herself calm.

Raven took a deep breath. If she ever wanted to get out of her own head, then she would have to keep her wits about her.

"What about the other copies here?" she said, gesturing to the emoticlones around the clearing. "Don't they have magic or something? Some way to force that thing from my body?"

Wisdom arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps. But not in time." "What do you mean, not in time?" Wisdom sighed, striding down a stone path branching off from the pavilion that Raven hadn't noticed before. She turned, gesturing for her to follow.

Quickly Raven ran after her.

-:-

As they walked briskly along the pathway, Raven started to notice a faint blue glow in the distance.

"What-" she started to ask before the yellow-clad girl shushed her. "Be quiet." she ordered. "He can't know we're here."

"Who?"

Knowledge ignored her question. They walked quietly, the pathway changing from the empty space to a darker, colder place, with black spiky things that almost resembled trees. The air was noticeably cooler too, and Raven felt a shiver run up her spine, although she doubted it was from the cold.

The glow on the horizon was getting brighter, casting strange shadows onto the dark forest. Suddenly the trees came to a halt, framing a clearing, the ground made entirely of marble.

The stone itself was etched with strange symbols, most of which she didn't recognize. The few she did were runes of ancient spells that Azar had shown her in her lessons. The carvings curved gracefully around the clearing and into the center with a delicate spiral.

In the center of the clearing a hunched over figure sat, their face and body obscured by a blood red cloak.

As she stood gapping, Knowledge yanked her behind a tree.

"What are you doing! Have you lost your mind? Did you not hear me when I said that if that thing sees us we're dead?" she hissed.

"Sorry," she muttered, "I just-" she stopped, twisting her head to follow Knowledge's horrified gaze.

She felt her heart stop.

The figure in the clearing was rising, its cloak billowing behind it like a river of blood. Slowly, it turned to face the girls, its face covered by a hood, except for four glinting red eyes.

Raven felt her mouth move, but the words were stuck in her throat. Slowly, it exstinded a claw-like hand from the folds of its cloak.

She felt the familiar push of darkness against her mind and she felt herself being drawn to the shadow. She was vaguely aware of Knowledge tugging on her wrist, trying to pull her back but to no avail. She walked slowly, step by step, closer to the creature in the circle.

With each step feeling her will to resist crumble, piece by piece.

* * *

**So I am a horrible updater. So to make up for it this chapter is super long. Like 7k long! But most of the next chapter is already done so it _might_ not take as long!**

**Hopefully. **

**Anyway, as always I love hearing what you think so please review!**

**7.18.15**


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